Keeping Safe
by ell1986
Summary: Jill died, Adrian revived her. Simple right? Now Adrian's life is in danger from the Moroi dissidents who attacked Jill, so he is being ushered off to a secret location to keep him safe. Sydney Sage is in the bad books with the Alchemist's, so it is imperative she takes her new mission keeping Adrian safe seriously. post last sacrifice, pre bloodline, Sydney and Adrian's POV
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Sydney P.O.V

I was used to my missions for the Alchemist's being hush hush, I had even grown used to the idea of never really being in the know with what was being asked of me. But when Stanton showed up at my house at three in the morning and informed me that I was being whisked off for a new task, I had to admit I was surprised. After everything that had gone down with Rose and her escape, I was not exactly in the Alchemist's good graces. Although once I had been informed of my upcoming placement, I should have guessed it was their sick form of punishment.

"Miss Sage, I am not going to lie to you. We are sending you on this next mission as basically a babysitter. I am sure you have been made aware of the drama surrounding Jill Dragomir's arrival at court and recently there was an attack against her life made. A successful attempt, she was fatally stabbed in the chest. But by a stroke of luck, there happened to have been a spirit user close by that managed to rejuvenate her. She is now alive and well but is deep in hiding, so as she remains safe and the Moroi are not thrown into chaos. But the Moroi dissidents are not happy with the spirit user, so now he is also being sent into hiding. He will have a skilled Guardian assigned to him but he is somewhat… difficult you might say. Not very good at keeping a low profile or keeping himself out of trouble. So we need you to accompany them and ensure that they not only stay safe but keep themselves out of the public eye. You will be departing shortly, the three of you will meet up for a connecting flight and then you will fly together to the designated safety location. Do you have any questions about what is being asked of you?".

Stanton looked at me expectantly and I did not dare question her. I was thin ice with my higher up's, so now was the time to do exactly what was asked of me. "No mam" I answered quickly as I followed her out the door to the waiting car.

"In this envelop you will find all your flight details and the information about your new charge. I trust that you will do what it takes to ensure this mission is a success. Your father has expressed his concern regarding your commitment to our cause, but I have faith that you have seen the errors of your way and are now well aware of the importance of our responsibility. Contact me if need be". With that, she shook my hand firmly and stalked away. I opened the door to the back seat and saw a professionally dressed Alchemist sitting in the front seat, waiting to drop me at the airport. He did not respond to my salutations, so I guessed my indiscretions with Rose had been made public knowledge. It was going to take a while for me to regain my reputation with my people, so my commitment to wherever I was being sent was imperative.

I opened the envelop to see that my first flight would be taking me east, stopping in Chicago for only one hour, before boarding a flight to Jacksonville, Florida. Before I could read further, we arrived at the airport and it became evident that I was going to have to run in order to check my baggage and board before the gate closed.

I made it on board with only moments to spare, garnering me death stares from the flight attendants. I sat in my seat with a sigh, glad to see that the spot next to me was empty. I had three hours to peruse the details of the operation and the less eyes on me the better. I kept my eyes on the safety instructions and made sure that I had an escape route planned before settling in for an uncomfortable couple of hours.

I opened the envelop and was surprised to find a college brochure for a liberal arts school in the pile. Flagler College was in St. Augustine and it was a stunning. The school had a sprawling campus and was centred around Ponce de Leon Hotel. I audibly gasped when I realised that I would not only be living on campus bur attending classes at Flagler. My courses were pre-planned and in typical Alchemist style three of the four classes were centred science but I had lucked out and had also been enrolled in introduction to ancient architecture. It has always been a passion of mine and now I was going to have an opportunity to study it on a daily basis. Being born into an Alchemist family had secured me a life of home schooling and high level science education. I had zero say in my academic interests my whole life, so being given a mission that allowed me somewhat freedom of intellectual knowledge was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had spent most of the flight reading the Flagler admissions brochure and it occurred to me that I had not bothered to read up on who I would actually be babysitting whilst on this seemingly dream assignment.

I was about to pull out the further information when the same flight attendant who had stared me down earlier, passed by to tell me to return my seat to the upright position for landing. Not wanting to irritate her further, I stowed the envelope with my overhead luggage and returned to my seat for a seamless landing. Racing to my feet, I grabbed my bags and rushed to leave the flight. I only had an hour to race to my connecting flight and I needed to take the time to aqquaint myself to the details of the Moroi I would be in charge of. I rushed through the airport and made my way to my new gate. I had just rounded the corner when I stopped dead in my tracks. Seated near the window, looking bored to death, sat Adrian Ivashkov. The ex-boyfriend of Rose and a royal pain in the arse. This could not actually be happening.

Adrian's P.O.V

After we had rushed off our plane from Montana, worried that we would miss our connection, we ended up having a delay of almost two hours. I still was in shock over what had happened in the last two days. It had been just an average day at court, boring society dinner, followed by a boring political meeting. I had been sitting by, playing solitare on my phone, when all of a sudden an Air using Moroi had blown the Guardians standing by Jill sideways and had pierced her heart with a knife. He had been thrown to the ground by Dimitri and before I knew it, I was on my feet and rushing to Jill's side. I saw her aura fading and it was almost non-existent. I reached for her hand and felt her pulse fade away. I was not even aware of what I was attempting, I wasn't even sure if I was capable of doing it but spirit took a hold of me and the room lit up around me. I poured the magic through Jill and I felt her pulse beat once more. Her aura began to filter back through her, her eyes opened in fear. Rose leant over me, and ripped the knife from Jill's chest and she gasped in shock. The wound healed up and the colour came back to her clamy skin. I brushed the hair from her eyes, so happy to see them filled with life again. "Jailbait, you gave me quite the scare. You just cannot stay out of the limelight, can you?" I asked with a laugh but the lightheadedness took over me.

I woke the next day, in what appeared to be the infirmary at court. Rose was sitting in the corner, bored by unconsciousness. She turned when she saw my stir, obviously happy that she could potentially be done with her corpse sitting position. "Good you are awake. We are going to need to get you out of here pretty quickly, so once you are feeling up to it, I need you packed and ready to fly".

Considering I had only been awake for less than a minute, my brain was trying to cope with a lot. The memory of Jill dying in my arms came flashing back, as did her revival. Then came the fact that I was sitting in a room with Rose, who had only two months ago shattered my heart into a million pieces and then stood on those pieces with her hair heeled boots.

"What are you talking about Rose? And if you are going wherever I am packing for, then count me out". I rolled over on my side and slowly pushed myself up out of the bed. I was still slightly dizzy but could feel my strength pouring back into me. Rose rushed over to help me but from the look of disgust on my face, knew better than to try touch me.

"We need to get you out of court as soon as possible. The group that tried to kill Jill, or should I say actually did kill Jill, are not happy with you. We have moved Jill to a secret location and Dimitri is with her, keeping her safe until we can find a more permanent location for her to stay whilst we continue to work on the law keeping Liss as queen. As for you, we need to get you out of here before anyone attempts to hurt you. We are moving you to a permanent safe location, where you will stay indefinitely. Eddie will be assigned with you and there will be an Alchemist appointed to your case".

I had just received an overwhelming amount of information and was struggling to keep up. "What do you mean safe location? Is there a bounty on my head? I get Eddie coming along by why stick us with an Alchemist? So I just have to put my life on hold? I do something noble for the first time in my life and now I am being punished?". I ran my hands through my hair, my frustrations heating their peak.

"You are not being punished Adrian, your being protected. And believe me, the Alchemist was not my choice. They have been well aware of your many dalliance's and behavioural problems for a while now and they don't believe you can actually live in the human world undetected. Go pack Adrian, we do not have time to waste". And with that she left the room and hopefully my life.

The next day had passed in a blur, Eddie Castille and I had boarded several flights, trying to throw any potential followers off our trail. Our final flight would take us to Jacksonville, Florida. We were being sent to live on campus at a Private Liberal Arts college, where we were enrolled in classes and living on campus. I had tried several attempts at higher level schooling before but things had always distracted me in the past, girls, booze ect, ect. This time was probably not going to be any different.

And so now I sit here, in a deserted departure lounge in the Chicago domestic airport, waiting for what I hoped would be the last flight of many for sometime now. My phone battery had long since died and I had lost all communication with the outside world, even though there were not that many people I desire to keep in contact with at the moment. I was desperate to speak to Jill but so far I had not been able to find her in a spirit dream, meaning her schedule was as unorganised as mine. We were waiting for our assigned Alchemist to connect with us, she would be flying in from out west. I knew nothing about her, not even a name, just that she would be living on campus with us. We had been set up with an on campus apartment, complete with cable television and wireless internet, meaning I might never have to leave the building. It had been arranged that I would visit another Moroi on campus to have scheduled feeding sessions, so it seems that in such a short amount of time, everything had been organised for me.

About an hour had passed, even though it felt like a year. We had twenty minutes until we would be able to board the flight and I had been able to use some slight compulsion to obtain a free upgrade for Eddie and myself but decided to leave the Alchemist back in coach. They tended to be boring, uptight stick in the mud types who probably would not appreciate the finer things in life anyway.

I was busy staring into oblivion when in my peripheral vision, I saw golden blonde hair shine in the florescent lights of the airport. The hair belonged to a stunning, conservatively dressed Sydney Sage and she was staring right at me. Our eyes met and for a moment, I was unable to focus on anything other than her beautiful eyes. I had seen her only once before, when she was dragged to court for helping Rose escape. She had sat opposite me in that interrogation room and her stunning eyes had rendered me speechless. She sat guarded and professional but everytime she looked over at me, it was as if she saw deep into my soul. I was dating Rose at the time, but I am still a guy. Sporadically since that night, I had dreamed of Sydney Sage and those insatiable eyes. Her face and body had been the star of countless R rated dreams and I was ashamed to admit it. It was taboo for Moroi and Humans to date, let alone even be friends, so my fantasies stayed strictly private.

It was very common for the Alchemist's to be deathly afraid of us, but if that was the case for Sydney Sage, she was doing a bang up job of hiding it. She had not diverted her eyes away from mine and she was walking towards us, with an air of professionalism about her. She stopped just short of us, and placed her bag down just by her feet.

"Lord Ivashkov, I am Sydney Sage. I have been assigned to escort you and Mr Castille to our safe location and then assure your temporary living situation at Flagler is drama free". She stood with her hand out in front of her, unsure whether I would shake hers in return.

"Sydney, Lord Ivashkov is my father. You know you can call me Adrian. It's a real pleasure to see you again, I am glad this time is a more relaxed situation than the last time we met". I took her soft, gentle hand in mine and almost flinch as a bolt of electricity shot through my entire body. I did everything I could to not flinch and let on that her touch had affected me so thoroughly. Her face was caught up in surprise, seemingly shocked that I remembered meeting her.

"Adrian, then. The Alchemist's fear that you will not be able to keep your identity or your way of life secret or hidden whilst we are in hiding, so I am here to assure them that nothing untoward is happening. I am sure that this whole situation is not what you had planned next but if we work together, than I think this mission can be mutually beneficial". Whether she had meant it or not, using the words mutually beneficial spoke to my male sensibilities and I was ashamed of the fantasies running through my mind.

This was going to be a very interesting couple of months.

 **AN- I hope everyone enjoyed chapter one. I will continue writing from both Adrian and Sydney's POV and will try to remain as strict to character as possible! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Well it was safe to say that Adrian Ivashkov lived up to his reputation. When we were boarding he flight, he informed me that he and Eddie had been upgraded due to his good looks but unfortunately I would still be traveling economy. He shot me a devil may care grin and disappeared behind the velvet curtains of first class. Eddie Castile had the good graces to looks sheepish and offer to swap seats for the flight, after he ascertained there was no risk to Adrian. It was a generous offer but one which I was happy to refuse. The flight would give me time to decompress after the realisation that Adrian Ivashkov would be the Moroi I would be devoting my time to.

Sure he was good looking. Okay good looking was an understatement, the guy was drop dead gorgeous. His green eyes were mesmerising and his cheek bones could slice glass. And let's not even get started on his smile, but as good looking as he was, he had a rap sheet the length of the English dictionary. The guy was trouble with a capital T. I could see what had attracted Rose to him but Adrian did not seem like the long term boyfriend kind of guy. I know he had serious substance abuse issues, due to his spirit use. I had no experience with alcohol or any other substance to be honest, so this was probably going to be an eye opening adventure for me.

It had surprised me that Adrian had actually remembered me, not only my face but my name as well. I was sure that our meeting at court was utterly unmemorable for him but for some odd reason I sometimes mentally flicked back to the moment I first walked into the interrogation room. I had been taken off guard by the intensity of his stare and I had been unable to peel my gaze away from his. I had never experienced anything like that before and I attributed it to something to do with spirit. We do not know much about the magic and its ability, so I am sure that moment could be traced back it.

The same as when he had shook my hand. His strong, muscular hand had taken mine and instantly my whole arm had felt like it was on fire. I tried to cover up the shock but I am sure he was aware of my odd behaviour. I spent the flight reading over the remaining details for our operation. Our cover was that we were three childhood friends from a small town in North Dakota who had recently come back together to attend the same liberal arts college. Our names had been changed slightly to cover our identities, mine being Sydney Melrose, Adrian's surname being less conspicuous as Steele and Eddie's changed to Milne. We would be sharing a three bedroom, on campus apartment, in a central building for all of our classes. Adrian was enrolled in three introductory art classes, which Eddie would also be enrolled in, much to his disgust I am sure. His fourth and final class was with me in my introduction to Ancient architecture course. I could not believe my luck that my one shining light in this awful experience was going to be marred by Adrian's attendance.

The lights on the plane brightened and I quickly looked up to see that we were beginning our decent. I thought I had made good timing departing the plane but I guess when you are in first class, you get to exit as soon as the plane touches down. Eddie and a smirking Adrian were waiting for me in the arrival lounge, there baggage having been brought to them by a doting airport worker.

"How was your flight back there in cattle class?" Adrian asked, trying his hardest to cover the smile plastered on his face. "Perfectly adequate. We both arrived in the same city at the same time, so in my opinion, we had the same flight experience" I said in a huff, as I waked off to claim my baggage. A giggling Adrian followed close behind and Eddie brought up the rear. I had not had much time to pack, so my case was light and easy to carry, although Eddie still insisted on taking it from my hands. Before we could even walk out the door of the airport, we were approached by what could only be explained as a wall of a man, one man who I knew Adrian would be very unimpressed to see.

"Dimitri" I exclaimed and rushed over to him. I had met him whilst helping Rose escape and could understand completely how Rose had fallen head over heels for the guy. He was brave, ferocious, kind and was the type of good looking that girls only dreamed about. He and Rose were destined to be together but unfortunately Rose had not realised that when she started dating Adrian.

From the look on Adrian's face, I could see he was contemplating making a break for it and running for the nearest plane he could reach. Things had not ended well between him and Rose and Dimitri being here was not helping. Seeing the confidence being sucked out of the Moroi was almost heart breaking and for a moment, I forgot about our centuries old hatred of each other. I saw the humanity in him hurting, and it was awful to see.

"Sydney, I am glad you landed safely. When the Alchemist's requested we send one of you along, Rose and I requested you specifically. We really appreciate you coming at such short notice". He gave me an honest smile and it was unsettling to see such a huge man show such genuine emotion. He turned to Eddie and shook his hand roughly, as they debriefed on the flights and journey so far.

I looked over at Adrian and his mind was working overtime. His brilliant eyes had dulled and all the life from his character had been sucked out of him. "You know they don't even serve food in coach, I almost had to pay for a glass of water" I joked towards Arian, hoping to snap him out of the doom and gloom he was trapped in. It took him a moment but when he finally dragged his eyes away from the hulking Russian, he turned to me with a sly smile.

"Next time Sydney Sage, I will fly you first class and you will get to see how the other half live" he quipped back at me with a gracious smile. I doubt he was aware of my intentions, but he was still glad for the distraction.

"So, I have your car parked outside, it is yours as long as you are in town, Eddie both you and Sydney are on the insurance, so you are the only two to drive it. Here are the keys to your apartment, when you get on campus, you will have parking in front of the building and a security guard at the front door at all times. All of your classes are during the day, and are in the same buildings. There are not many reasons for you guys to leave campus, so please try and keep a low profile". I don't think Dimitri had intentionally been trying to scold or ignore Adrian but it certainly came across that way.

We followed Dimitri outside to our new ride which unfortunately turned out to be a 2009 Toyota Carolla, one of the world's most popular cars. The only good thing about it was that it had a manual transmission and was a sleek black colour. We placed our cases in the trunk and Adrian went ahead and climbed straight into the back seat, not bothering to speak one word to Dimitri.

"Sydney I am sorry that Rose and I caused you trouble with the Alchemist's with our escape but we hope this mission might get you back in the good graces with your bosses. I am just sorry that you have to be a glorified baby sitter to a petulant child for the next however long you will be here". Dimitri had been somewhat joking but somewhere deep inside of me felt protective over Adrian. He was hurting, not petulant.

"Thank you for requesting me for the job, I appreciate it. And please stop apologising. I could have said no but I helped Rose because I believed her. Do not give us a second thought out here. Once we get to campus, we will be completely undetected". Dimitri squeezed my shoulder softly and then turned to give Eddie last minute instructions, so I decided to take the first shift of driving.

Taking a seat in the driver's side, I adjusted the mirror and seat to my specifications and the turned around to check on Adrian. He was laying across the back seat, staring up at the ceiling and I knew better than to try and start a conversation.

Adrian's P.O.V

Of course it was Dimitri meeting us in Jacksonville. I had managed to avoid the Soviet overlord a large majority of the time at court, only being in the same room as him when absolutely necessary. So getting off the luxury flight and seeing him waiting was not something that pleased me. I had hoped to try and make a fresh start of things out here in Florida but the nightmare had followed me. I knew that any conversation between us would end up making me look petty and childish so I removed myself from the situation and just avoided conversing with him.

The drive to St. Augustine was only about fifty or so miles and when Sydney pulled us into the car park of our new school, it was dark out. I got out of the back seat and stretched out my tired legs. Before I could even make a quip about being back at school, the sheer beauty of this place took my breath away. The school was spectacular and picturesque and I knew I wasn't the only person thinking it. Eddie was even more silent than usual and Sydney looked like she wanted to cry happy tears. Her beautiful face was awestruck and she appeared to be trying to soak in every aspect of our new campus.

We found our building that we would be our new home, and just as Dimitri had said there was a burly security guard at the front entrance. Once he had checked over our new fake I.D's, he allowed us entry and we took the short elevator trip to the fourth floor. The hallway outside of our lift was well lit and narrow, a very safe and secure looking location. We made our way down the end of the hallway to number 407 and Sydney unlocked the multiple locks to let us in.

We stepped in to a darkened, large living space complete with an overstuffed plaid couch that looked perfect for napping. The kitchenette had all the essentials for student living, I just hoped Sydney was not a gourmet chef, because she would be severely disappointed. There was a small balcony off the living space, which Eddie immediately investigated, needing to determine if it was a point of danger for us.

I took my time to see the other rooms of the apartment, the three small bedrooms identical except for the one on the front of the building which had large east facing windows. Sydney walked in the room behind me, her breath catching in her voice. She walked over to the window and forced it open, allowing the ocean breeze to softly blow her perfectly kept hair. The moonlight shone down on her face and her delicate features were illuminated. She looked more content and happy than I had seen her since the moment we had met and in turn, my sour mood dissipated.

"You can have this room if you like?" I asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt her quiet happiness. She turned to me in shock and smile softly.

"Are you sure? It's the nicest one? And I am just glorified domestic help" she said with a smile and I could not help but laugh. I walked over the join her by the window and was taken aback by the beauty of the lights and smells of the beach side location.

"You helped Rose when you did not have to. And you came here when I am sure you would want to be anywhere else in the world. The least I can do is give you the good room. Plus it is east facing and there are no curtains, so good luck sleeping in past seven a.m.".

She laughed softly and returned her gaze out the window. "You know I didn't have a choice right? I had to come here. I am an Alchemist, I go where they send me. And looking out this window, at this amazing campus, there are much worse places to be sent".

We stood in silence for a few moments, soaking in the sweet smell of our new found quasi freedom. Sydney tried to stifle a yawn so I took the hint and walked towards the door. "I don't hate him. I just loved her and she hurt me. I don't even hate her, I just loved her and she hurt me". I spoke before I realised what I was saying but the words just came tumbling out of my mouth. I needed her to know I was not petty or weak, I was just hurt.

She looked over at me, a little shocked and unsure what to say so I walked away quickly. There was something about this girl that made it difficult for not to be honest with her. She was pure and good natured and I felt an overwhelming desire for her to see that deep inside I had those characteristics as well.

I made my way to my new room, a dark corner room with an adjoining door to the bathroom. I unpacked the clothing I had brought and hung the few photos I had managed to get past the guardian who watched me like a hawk when I packed. One was a photo of my mother when she had been pregnant with me, her belly rounded and her cheeks glowing. The other was a polaroid of Jill and I back when we had been on campus at St Vlad's, when I was devotedly persuing Rose. The third photo was one that no one had ever seen, it was of me and my Aunt Tatiana, who had been murdered recently. It was a rare moment of normalcy for her, we were in our sweat's, drinking beers in her room. She was the queen of an ancient society, but right there in that moment, she was just my aunt, the only one in my family that understood me and now she was gone.

I lay back on the lumpy mattress of the bed, unsure of whether I would even be able to sleep tonight. The last few days had been non-stop drama and now it was our aim to insure that my life remained as drama free as possible. My mind wandered to Sydney, asleep across the hall from my very room. When she spoke about having been sent here, there was a sadness to her voice. I did not know much about the Alchemist's but they did not seem like the type to live on the edge and enjoy life. The fact the she had found so much joy from an open window and sea breeze spoke legions. Sydney Sage was an enigma, one I was looking forward to cracking.

 **AN- CHAPTER TWO! I AM REALLY EJOYING WRITING THIS STORY AND AM REALLY EXCITED FOR WHERE IT IS GOING TO GO. PLEASE REVIEW AND GIVE ADVISE ABOUT WHERE I AM STILL ON CHARACTER, AS I DON'T WANT TO STRAY TOO MUCH FROM THEIR BOOK PERSONALITIES, AS FURTHER DOWN THE LINE IT WILL MATTER!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sydney's POV

As much as I hated to admit it, Adrian Ivashkov was right about one thing, the sunlight woke me from my deep sleep the second it rose on the horizon. I tried my hardest to fall back asleep but the morning shone far too bright. After giving up on the idea of at least one more hour of sleep, I grabbed a book from my bedside table and made my way out to the small balcony off the front of our building. It was small and rectangular but had enough space for a two seater table and chair set and two recliner pool chairs. I took a seat on one of the recliners and attempted to get lost in a fictional world but the sunlight was so luxurious that I quickly fell into a deep slumber, basking in the glow of the east coast morning. I had no idea how long I had been asleep for when I heard the balcony door slide open and light footsteps walk outside. I woke with a fright and looked up to see a sheepish looking Eddie standing on the far side of the balcony.

"Sorry, I did not want to wake you, you looked so peaceful" he said as he took a seat at the small table and looked out at the ocean view in the distance.

I sat up slowly, my body drained of energy from the sun intake. "No I am glad you did, ten more minutes and I would have been burnt to a crisp. How did you sleep?".

"Surprisingly well. I guess after everything that has happened the last few days, I was a lot more exhausted than I thought". He stopped short and I could sense that he did not want to go into finer detail.

"Well it seems like we are going to be here for a while, so at least that means a few decent night sleep for all of us for a while. And we get to actually attend classes, so we will have a quasi-normal life".

"Attending classes, ugh don't remind me. I would rather face down a herd of Strigoi day after day than go back to school again" Eddie said with a laugh and I could not help but join in. He was a driven, loyal guardian but underneath the hardened exterior, was a good hearted guy who just wanted to keep his friends safe.

"So do you think just the two of us are going to be able to keep Adrian in check?" I asked hesitantly. Eddie chuckled and looked over at me. "I think it would take a whole army to keep Ivashkov in check, but you and I will have to do. He is a good guy, I think. He has just had a fairly messed up life, due to spirit and family issues. I think the situation with Jill shook him up a bit and maybe this is what he needs to escape his life and reputation back at court".

I don't think Eddie had meant any disrespect to Adrian but at least he had hopes that he might be able to turn his life around. "Well we don't have to show up to orientation until tomorrow so I guess that means we are free today. I need to head out at some point and buy some curtains for my room and we will all need supplies for school. I read last night in the brochure for campus that there is a department store not far from here. We can get everything we need, oh and also we need to get some groceries for the house". The alchemist in me was already planning every second of the day away and I could see that Eddie was a little overwhelmed by my fastidious organisational skills.

"That sounds like a decent plan, we just have one small spanner in the works. I don't imagine Adrian will be awake anytime soon. So I might run out and buy supplies for breakfast, if you want to keep an eye on everything around here?".

"Yeah, sounds good. I did not see a coffee maker inside so as much as it pains me to ask, can you grab some instant coffee for me. I will not be able to function without it".

"Noted. I left my number written on the kitchen counter, if you need me or anything happens, just call and I will be right back here. I mean it, even if you hear a strange creak in the floorboards, you call me". Based off the look Eddie was trying to convey, I knew better than to argue.

I agreed and he left quickly, leaving me to the sunshine on my own. The morning sun was starting to rise in the sky and after only ten more minutes, I was drenched in my own sweat. I could not remember the last time I had relaxed and just enjoyed some solitude. It was extremely calming but judging by the smell I was starting to emit, it was time to retreat and shower.

I gathered my shower essentials and towel from my room and headed to the shared bathroom. The room was fairly decent in size, with a luxurious looking shower head over a large bathtub. There was a second door, probably leading into one of the other bedrooms. I checked for a lock but there did not appear to be one. Seeming Eddie was out and I had not heard a peep from Adrian's room, I figured I would be fairly safe.

I peeled off my sweat soaked pajama's and stepped under the taps that I had let run. The water was lukewarm and I felt the day of travel and sun soaking rinse from my skin. I used a soft lavender scented bath scrub and my skin was silky smooth within minutes. I gave my hair a similar treatment, washing the airport and airplane germs well away. I could have spent hours under the running water but I knew Eddie would be returning soon and the promise of coffee, even if it was instant, was too much to pass up.

After turning the taps off, I grabbed the plush towel from the rack just as I heard the door behind me open and I saw an embarrassed looking Adrian gawking at me in the mirror.

Adrian POV

"Adrian! Get out!" Sydney shouted at me but my feet were temporarily paralysed. I honest to god did not know she was in the bathroom, my headphones were in my ears and my music was blaring pretty loudly. I had walked in just as she was wrapping her soft white towel around her soaking wet, naked body. I had not seen much but what I did see was enough to make me blush. The girl was a goddess and I was standing here like a prepubescent teenage boy, like he was seeing his first naked female ever.

"Adrian, seriously". Reason washed over me and I realised I was behaving like a major creep. "Shit, Sage I'm sorry. I honestly did not know you were in here. If it helps I did not see much".

Her eyes turned to angry slits and her stare was deathly. "Much? It would help if you just got out of here" and she did not have to tell me a third time. I backed out of the room quickly and slammed the door closed behind me. Well done Adrian, day two and I've already managed to majorly ruin any potential headway I had made at making the alchemist see me as anything more than a conceited jerk.

I heard the other door open, meaning that Sydney had left the bathroom and then I heard a second door slam loudly, and I guess it was safe to assume that was her bedroom door. I made my way into the bathroom and an overwhelming smell of lavender wafted over me. It was not overpowering or irritating, it was all consuming. I don't think I had ever had a somewhat sexual reaction to a smell before, but knowing that this was what Sydney's body ultimately smelt like, well it did funny things to my body.

After my very needed cold shower, I made my way to the living room where Eddie had returned after what looked like a trip to the grocery store. Sydney was sitting at the counter on her laptop, drinking a very large mug of coffee.

"Morning" I said awkwardly and Sage did not bother to look up from her computer. Her cheeks turned a glorious shade of pink and she was obviously not ready to talk about this. Eddie on the other hand seemed oblivious to any discomforted between us.

"Morning Adrian, I went out for breakfast supplies. I realised I have absolutely no idea what you eat, so I got everything imaginable. Help yourself to anything, I am just going to jump in for a quick shower".

"Make sure you lock the door" Sydney muttered as Eddie was leaving the room but I did not dare to laugh. I made my way to the kitchen to pour myself a cup of the coffee that had been brewed, but it appeared to be so strong, I could confuse it with mud. I settled with a glass of orange juice and I turned to face Sydney. She was dressed in light blue jeans and a white cotton blouse. Even in such conservative clothing, my mind was still stuck on the memory of her wrapped in the towel.

"You are staring again" she muttered, again not looking up from her computer. Her voice had snapped me out of my pathetic fantasies and I blushed for the second time that day.

"Listen, I know I came across like a real creep in there, but it was an honest to god mistake. I am a ladies man Sage but I am not some peeping tom pervert. I did not hear the shower running". She slowly dragged her eyes up from the screen and an angry scowl made its way across her face.

"Okay so the walking in on me was a mistake, but what about the uncomfortable twenty seconds of staring that followed that accident?". Her voice did not seem angry but you could never tell with women.

"Uh well, that I can only put down to being a guy walking in on a naked woman in the shower. Again, not a pervert, just a guy, making a mistake. Honestly, I am really sorry if I made you uncomfortable. If it helps, you can walk in on me tomorrow morning?". I had really hoped that would garner me a laugh or two but Sage just rolled her eyes as she slammed her laptop closed.

"Listen Adrian, I don't know you but I know your reputation and I know your reputation with the ladies. You might have been able to charm all those other silly girls into believing anything you told them but do not get confused. I am here for my job. You are not my friend, you are an inconvenience that I have been sent to essentially babysit. So this is how it is going to be. You will keep your eyes, and your sleazy comments to yourself. I am not going to make your life difficult but if you in anyway interfere with my job running smoothly, I will bring you down. Got it?". She stood and walked out of the room before I could pick my jaw up off the ground. The door to her bedroom slammed again and it reverberated through me.

I was still trying to brush her words off, an inconvenience? Babysit me? That is how the alchemist's described this mission for her? I would say that was hurtful but I guess based off my past behavioural issues, it was not too far from the mark.

I was just turning to wash my glass as Eddie walked out of the bathroom. "You know there is no lock on that bathroom door? We better put one on otherwise we could end up with a really awkward situation". Eddie said it with a laugh but he actually had no idea of how right he really was.

 **AN- I HOPE EVERYONE ENJOYED. I FELT THE FIRST 2 CHAPTERS I MADE SYDNEY AND ADRIAN QUITE CHUMMY, SO HER "REAL" FEELINGS BOUT HIM NEEDED TO COME OUT**


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